But all the profit the King of Ireland got from them was to see them
together for that one time. For no sooner did Finn get his freedom than
the whole of them scattered here and there, and no two of them went by
the same road out of Teamhair.
And that was one of the best things Caoilte, son of Ronan, ever did. And
another time he ran from the wave of Cliodna in the south to the wave of
Rudraige in the north. And Colla his son was a very good runner too, and
one time he ran a race backwards against the three battalions of the
Fianna for a chessboard. And he won the race, but if he did, he went
backward over Beinn Edair into the sea.
And very good hearing Caoilte had. One time he heard the King of the
Luigne of Connacht at his hunting, and Blathmec that was with him said,
"What is that hunt, Caoilte?" "A hunt of three packs of hounds," he
said, "and three sorts of wild creatures before them. The first hunt,"
he said, "is after stags and large deer and the second hunt is after
swift small hares, and the third is a furious hunt after heavy boars."
"And what is the fourth hunt, Caoilte?" said Blathmec. "It is the
hunting of heavy-sided, low-bellied badgers." And then they heard coming
after the hunt the shouts of the lads and of the readiest of the men and
the serving-men that were best at carrying burdens. And Blathmec went
out to see the hunting, and just as Caoilte had told him, that was the
way it was.
And he understood the use of herbs, and one time he met with two women
that were very downhearted because their husbands had gone from them to
take other wives.
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